I genuinely think his next 3 years will be better than his last 3.
7 Likes
Our best clearance mid and one of the few guys who can burst through congestion into space from a stoppageā¦ play him on a half back flank? No thank you.
3 Likes
That mid season rocket really changed himā¦ for the better. So heās shown he can step up to next level. And itās how I expected him to play when he arrived given his professionalism. Hopefully he can maintain this.
And then thereās the new coach factor, which may help further.
3 Likes
Mass showed some promise as a forward but I just think we so desperately need some decent kicking and ability to change angles in the back half that we just have to invest in him down there.
5 Likes
Also hind was very good in 2021, he was rubbish least season. Iād rather 2021 hind at half back than a Shiel experiment.
I am a bit surprised by people saying Hind was horrible last year. I think thatās unfair.
Like Redman (all our defenders to be honest) in the first 6 odd rounds, they were completely under pressure and performed badly as a result.
But like Shiel, after Hind was dropped, his performances lifted and he performed similarly to his 2021 season. And his raw stats back that up
2 Likes
Not horrible. But I donāt think heās a long term solution.
1 Like
Same. But Iām not sure the club will.
Iād replace him with Mass in a heartbeat.
Despite his occasional dash, heās a poor defender with limited foot skills.
1 Like
We need one more good ball user in the back six. If Ridley pulls his finger out and stops playing the ultra safe kicking game that has been a hallmark of his game, then weād be a long way to solving that problem, but I donāt think he has the mindset to take the game on like that.
Would be worth a shot,
in local footy good mids can go to half back and rack it up.
My preference is Merret to HBF, at least part time, but have suggested Shiel tried there in the past too, including when he was in his form slump.
1 Like
Think all (or most) of the players were symptomatic / reflected the way the whole team performed in stagesā¦generally in any sport for that matter - all the three levels (the underperformers/ mid-performers/ high-performers) go up a level when the team as a whole is performing well. When the confidence is up (and momentum is there) they take chances and pull off impossible plays and make things happen. Hereās to hoping we get some mojo back next year!
2 Likes
Make Shiel captain.
I think he can be a pretty good kick at times. Just has the occasional horrible clanger that most Essendon players have.
Hes not a great defender (to put it nicely) but he wasnāt that last year either and everyone loved him. Heās the pure rebounding defender that every team has and heās still elite in his role for meters gained, score involvements and goal assists.
2 Likes
I think the Sheil that played the 2nd half of last year is fine to remain as an onballerā¦maybe spending some time on the wings or Half Forward
define best clearance player ?
parish outdid any year shiel has for clearances last year.
itās the old chicken and egg argument. he gets alot of clearances because he is in the main position to get clearances.
so is he good at it, or is he simply played in a position where youāre going to get a ā ā ā ā ton of stats no matter what you do ?
itās like people using his tackle stats in the second half of the year to claim his defensive efforts went up. they did relative to his poor early season efforts, but people claim he turned a corner generally cos his tackle stat on a stat sheet went up.
it becomes a self fulfilling prophecy, like people with depression thinking something bad will always happen, then when it does they say see i told you.
heās good at clearances cos heās played no where else but on ball in a position where clearances is your main job.
there inlies half the problem though, we actually need to start developing others in there to do the same role down the track when we are in a better position to challenge, and he offers very little actual versatility to play other positions.
Jeepers that was a wild ride.
Well he was the number one centre clearance player in the entire league last year. Thatās enough for me.
You can tie yourself in knots about it if you like. Iāve got my opinion, you have yours. All good.
11 Likes
I assume you mean this year.
he was no.1 for average center clearances, not overall center clearances and in the previous post you claimed he was the best clearance player.
again he is in a position where he is exposed to the potential to get more of those stats, hence he gets them.
yes youāre allowed your opinion, itās still not a very good one.
Hes good at it, which is why he wins more clearances then other mids who get as much or more time on ball then he does.
2 Likes
Nah